Southeast Oakland County a magnet for foreign students

Theresa Ledesma is the local coordinator in Oakland County for Educatius International, an agency that places foreign students with host families for the duration of a school year.
Liz Carnegie--For the Daily Tribune

Oakland County, when compared to other municipalities across the U.S. and within Michigan, often ends up well within the top ten of a myriad of lists. From bond ratings to health rankings, the county is recognized as one of the best places to live in or visit. The recent addition of four Oakland schools landing in the top ten best of all high schools in Michigan has added another dimension to the broad appeal of the area.

An appeal that caught the attention of an organization based in Sweden that places foreign students, seeking to broaden their cultural outlook, into U.S. schools.

Educatius International has been placing students in Oakland County schools including cities such as Clawson, Berkley, and Ferndale, as well as other districts, since last year. Melanie Smith, the director of the organization’s host family division, ranks Oakland county 7th in the nation for student placement due to the volume of students seeking to be located here.

“Oakland County is ranked very high with their students and their academics. We want to bring students a very traditional American experience, which can often happen in the Midwest. The families here are often very open and warm, and friendly,” Smith said.

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Smith’s idea of providing a welcoming experience for foreign students in the more traditional heartland area of the country opened the door to Oakland schools in 2013. Educatius collaborated with the Oakland Schools Student Foreign Exchange Program (OSSFEP) to bring students between the ages of 14 – 18 years old to the county.

With the help of OSSFEP, the project has generated a great deal of interest from a growing number of high schools. Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services, Terry Spencer, oversees the development and promotion of Educatius throughout the Oakland Schools system and has watched the foreign student program grow quickly in the last year.

“Educatius worked in partnership with Oakland Schools as a successful pilot program in 2013 to place 40 students from 13 different countries into four high schools in Oakland County. The program has expanded for the 2014-2015 school year with 15 participating high schools in Oakland County. To date we have placed 50 students from nine countries including Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam in our area schools,” she said.

Oakland educators and administration staff view the foreign student program as an important classroom asset that benefits everyone involved. “Teachers can utilize the exchange student’s experiences and knowledge when teaching different subject areas. This exchange of information between students and staff is invaluable since most of our students have not been out of our country,” said Peggy Ewick, a counselor at Clawson High School.

The students seeking to spend a school year in the U.S. are required to demonstrate strong academic capabilities, maturity, good health, and proficiency in the English language. In addition to bringing their unique cultural perspective to a host family, each guest scholar provides their own insurance, money, phone, and computer. The OSSFEP assists in securing an F1 visa for the visiting pupil. A potential host family will undergo an extensive background check before a student is placed with them.

Anyone interested in opening their home to a foreign student should not let their status stop them from applying. A host family can be chosen from multiple backgrounds that include empty nesters, single adults, single parents, and couples with or without children. Including the student in the daily life of the host family, and providing care and loving support, are the most important aspects of opening a home to the guest student.

Theresa Ledesmsa hosted an 11th grade student from South Korea in her Troy home last year. The enlightening cultural exchange inspired Ledesmsa to become a local International Coordinator for Educatius. Ledesma meets with the host applicants, and checks in with the family and student on a regular basis to provide support throughout the school year.

“It was an absolutely amazing opportunity and experience, especially for my kids. I love working with people, enjoy learning about other cultures, and just brining that experience to other families was just what really prompted me to get involved,” she said.

For further information on becoming a host family, contact Theresa Ledesma at,theresa_ledesam@yahoo.com